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Silent Microchip 'Fan' Has No Moving Parts
Stony Stevenson writes "Researchers in the US have developed a microchip fan with no moving parts that operates silently and generates enough wind to cool a laptop computer. The solid-state fan, developed with support from the US National Science Foundation (NSF), is touted as the most powerful and energy efficient fan of its size. The device produces three times the flow rate of a typical small mechanical fan and is one-fourth the size. The technology has the power to cool a 25W chip with a device smaller than one cubic-cm and can someday be integrated into silicon to make self-cooling chips, according to the researchers."
The TR list discussed here, that is: http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/03/12/176227
This I can see as having many applications, including those rather warm MacBookAirs ;-)
The Mothership
Just in time for Room-Temperature Superconductors! Oh monkeytrumpets.
But seriously, it sounds pretty... cool... and the article suggests that it uses plasma on extremely small scale, which is also pretty nifty. My concern would be dust. Every laptop I've had turns into a dustbuster that continuously cleans my desk. Unfortunately the collection cup (the fan and ducting) isn't easily removable. Maybe just use two of them in series but configure the first as an Ionic Breeze? Isn't that essentially what this thing is anyway? If it is, I don't know how the Ionic Breeze descriptions managed to omit the word PLASMA in their Sharper Image ads.
On the same day they announce the "best invention since the heat pipe", someone announces a better heat pipe---the room temperature super conductor! back to back articles annihilate.
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
Indeed. What's the date on that project? I didn't see one on the website. Me, I had posted a similar idea on the Halfbakery years ago: Here it is. I guess this is an idea lots of people come up with?
The novel part here, I'd say, is micromachining the thing on the die.
Also, if you are saying "efficient", in my mind that means Cooling per Watt, which they *didn't* mention.
I was very curious to know how many Watts it would take to cool a 25W microchip. If it is taking 50W whereas a fan would take 10mW.
I believe that Peltier's suffer from this. They are nice fanless systems that can cool below ambient temperature. But it takes more that 1 W per 1 W of cooling.
That was my first thought as well. I have an Ionic Breeze, and when I don't clean it regularly (once a week) it makes loud crackling noises and begins producing small electric arcs. Who is going to clean their CPU fan weekly?
We are all just people.
From plasma discharge, to omitting ozone, to collecting dust... This thing sounds like way too much trouble than it's worth. While the concept sounds amazing and I would love to be able to implement these into UMPCs and laptops, it's just going to do more harm than good.
Hmm, what they are not saying is that they are likely using 30W of power to cool a 25W chip...
Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!
There is an alloy that catalyzes 2O3 into 3O2. It has been proposed (by the company that makes it and has the patent) to mandate it for radiator grills in cars to remove ground-level smog. An excellent idea, but also a really tight-fist business move; then again, a 14 year patent on this is just what patents are for; it'll take 5-10 years to really get the ball rolling on sales with this to make some money, then the last few to recover cost, then they can stop squeezing the industry's balls and everyone makes their own.
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Actually, this is a very good point that the parent brings up. The way corona discharge is possible is to push a very high voltage with very low amperage through a very small electrode. The high voltage creates the ion flow, but the low amperage prevents arcing from occuring. However, if a pool of dust collects between the electrodes, you'll have an easy path for the electricity to arc across.
Not to mention that you better not drop a screw in the case while it's in operation! Or a screwdriver, or a paper clip, or other random metalic objects.
Brilliant idea, neat application, but there's always a risk involved when you're playing with high voltage, even micro-amps worth.
The idea is to cool the laptop, not melt it!
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
My car (Volvo S40) has this coating on its radiator. I'm not sure how many other cars have it, but it seems cheap enough that it shouldn't affect the cost of a car to put it on all of them.